Iran offers to halt enrichment of uranium

IRANIAN leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offered to halt Iran’s production of low-enriched uranium ahead of an address to the UN assembly yesterday.

But American diplomats led a walkout as he issued a sweeping attack on the US and major western European nations, calling them “arrogant powers” ruled by greed and eager for military adventurism.

The two US diplomats, who specialise in the Middle East, were followed out of the chamber by diplomats from more than 30 countries.

They included the 27 EU members, Australia, New Zealand, Somalia, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino and Macedonia, a UN diplomat said.

Ahmadinejad’s speech contrasted what he called the poverty and unhappiness in most countries against the riches and power of the US and unnamed European nations he accused of perpetuating wars, causing the global economic crisis and infringing on “the rights and sovereignty of nations”.

He attacked the US and European colonial powers for abducting tens of millions of Africans and making them slaves, for their readiness “to drop thousands of bombs on other countries,” and for dominating the UN Security Council.

Iran is under four sets of UN sanctions for refusing for years to bow to international demands to rein in uranium enrichment.

But ahead of his address to the annual UN General Assembly, Ahmadinejad said Iran would halt such production of low-enriched uranium — which can be a stepping stone to produce atomic weapons — if the West gives it the material in return.

“If they give us the 20% enriched uranium this very week, we will cease the domestic enrichment of uranium of up to 20% this very week.

“We only want the 20% enrichment for our domestic consumption,” Ahmadinejad told The New York Times.

The EU also offered to resume talks with Iran over its suspect nuclear programme.